


What If We're Not Acting?

by CK203



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, F/M, Fluff, Reverse Crush (Miraculous Ladybug)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27521461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CK203/pseuds/CK203
Summary: Adrien Agrace is a 20 year old actor who is hopelessly in love with Mari Duchen, his co-star on the new hit television series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. He battles his feelings for her as he navigates through his role as a suave superhero, all he can do is hope that some of that confidence breaks through into his normal self.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	What If We're Not Acting?

**Quick explanation, I didn't realize how hard it would be to go from writing Marinette in all my other fics to Mari in this fic, I feel really stupid for changing the names, but there's no going back now, if you notice any mistakes please comment them and I will fix them as soon as possible.**

“I thought curiosity killed the cat?” Ladybug asked as she once again turned down his offer to reveal each other's identities to each other. 

“It did, but satisfaction brought it back” Cat Noir replied happily.

“Well, looks like you’re not dying then” Ladybug responded before yanking herself off of the rooftop, leaving Cat Noir following her with dreamy eyes.

“I love that girl” He remarked. He sat in that spot for a few seconds before someone else spoke.

“Cut!” Thomas Astruc called out as he sat up from a directors chair with a smile “good job everyone, I’ll see you next week, get some rest!” he said happily as everyone started to wrap up the set. Adrien smiled as he took off the mask that was tightly bound to his face.

“Looking good Mari!” He called out as he looked up to the girl who was hanging uncomfortably from a crane like machine, hoisted up by a very thin harness underneath the skin tight polka dotted suit.

“Coming from the guy wearing cat ears” she replied as she rolled her eyes. 

“We’ve got that interview in an hour” he reminded her happily “Do you want to get lunch?” he asked as she started to get lowered down by her harness, as her feet found the ground he undid the cable.

“Alright, but we don't have much time” Mari replied as she felt the tension of the cable release “who's doing this interview again?” she asked as she started walking to a trailer located on the set. 

“Alex Tyler I think” He replied “That’s what the schedule said at least” he added with a kind smile. As he looked over to Mari he noticed that she was wincing slightly in discomfort, he gave her a worried look before asking something. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah... the harness does absolutely no favors for my back though” Mari replied as she rubbed her lower back. Adrien gave her a small smile as she rubbed her back in vain, trying to cure the pain that tormented her.

“I can give you a back rub if you’d like” Adrien suggested kindly, he would be lying if he said he didn’t  _ want  _ to give her a back rub. She looked at him as if she would say yes, but she nodded her head “no” before responding.

“It’s fine, we should get ready for the interview” she replied. Adrien nodded slightly as he walked into one of the trailers, soon enough he walked back out in his civilian clothes and over to the trailer where Mari was. He knocked a few times, waiting for a response, one that took a while longer than he had expected.

“Who is it?” Mari called out from the other side.

“It’s Adrien, can I come in?” He asked kindly.

“Yeah” Mari responded, allowing Adrien to open the door with a small smile “Do you still want to do lunch?” he asked.

“Yeah” Mari replied as she once again rubbed at her back.

“Why don't we just order something?” Adrien suggested, not wanting to force her to sit in a restaurant before then going to an interview where they would do nothing but prod into their private lives. 

“That would be amazing” Mari responded as she fell backwards onto the couch in her room

It didn’t take long for Adrien to order their food and sit in the other couch on the other side of the trailer, he looked over to Mari and felt immediate sympathy, he had no idea, but it couldn’t be fun having to be hoisted up by a single cable so often.

“How bad is the pain?” He asked as he watched her lie down with her back up.

“Not terrible, just really tight and sore” she replied. Adrien let out a silent sigh before he decided that he  _ had  _ to help, he wasn’t just going to let his friend sit there in pain while he could do something about it. He stood up before walking over to her and gently kneeling beside her, he took his thumbs and started massaging her lower back, she raised her head and looked back, but no protest came, instead she just lowered her head back onto the pillow. 

“Thank you Adrien” she hummed as she felt his thumbs knead the muscles of her back, she felt her back twitch slightly as he hit an excessively tender area, one that he continued to massage until the twitching of the muscles subdued. He gently moved his hands upwards to her upper back and gave a steady pressure while running his fists on both sides of the spine, releasing a long series of cracks emitting from her spine. She let out a satisfied breath as stretched, the tightness was gone and the pain seemed to at least be partially subdued. 

“Better?” Adrien asked as he stood up with a satisfied smile.

“Extremely” Mari replied “where did you learn how to do that?” she asked as she felt the relief that was now throughout her body.

“I have  _ a lot  _ of free time” he said with a small chuckle.

Soon enough both Mari and Adrien were in a car on their way to the location of the interview, Mari seemed much happier now that her back didn’t feel like it was going to give out at any moment, a question did linger on her mind as the car barreled down the city road.

“Have you ever done one of these before?” Mari asked the blonde.

“Um… once, but it was for a magazine article” He replied “but before this not really” he added.

“Me neither” Mari explained as the car pulled in front of the headquarters of the set of a late night talk show. The sun was just setting as the pair walked into the office, immediately greeted by an assistant who led them to their dressing rooms even though they were already dressed for the interview. They collapsed on the couch in the room, nervous about the interview ahead of them. Mari yawned a little as she tried to conceal her exhaustion, not excited to have to sit and answer questions.

“Tired?” Adrien asked, looking at her sweetly.

“Yeah, I think I’m just going to collapse in bed when I get home” she responded as she stretched. “Hey… thanks for…  _ massaging  _ me today” she said, not sure how she liked the word “massaging” coming out of her mouth.

“It’s nothing... you seemed to be in a lot of pain” he responded with a smile. He took a deep breath in and out for a few moments, trying to gain courage to do something “Hey… can I tell you something? He asked nervously.

“Of course Adrien” Mari replied encouragingly. 

“I’m really glad you got the role” he said awkwardly “I mean I’m glad the person who I work beside is someone as great as you” he added as he tore his view away from the girl next to him, by doing that he didn’t notice the blush that formed on Mari’s face.

“Thanks… I’m… I’m really glad we became friends” she replied as they heard a loud round of applause from down the hallway before the same assistant came into the room, their moment ended as the assistant spoke up.

“You’re up” she said before guiding them to the stage. They immediately noticed one thing, the stage was bright with an extreme amount of lighting, it seemed as if the lights caused the whole area to heat up an extra ten degrees. They smiled and waved to an audience that seemed nonexistent due to the burning lights, they sat down and gave the host a smile.

“It is great to see you two” the host said happily before turning to the crowd “Now for those who have been living under a literal rock, these two are Mari Duchen and Adrien Agarce they play Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste in the critically acclaimed TV Show “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir”, but these two are definitely not new to acting” he said as he turned back to the pair “you two were both very popular children's actors who were in numerous TV shows and movies alike” he suggested “you both also took a small break from acting, if you don't mind me asking, why is that?” he questioned kindly. Adrien was the first to respond to his question.

“Well, roles for 16 year olds in kid tv shows became non existent, so I took a break for four years and now here I am” Adrien said kindly “all in all I think the break did me good, it allowed me to refocus and relax” he finished.

“And what about you Mari?” he asked, refocusing his gaze on the girl.

“Well, I never fully stopped, I did some voice acting and other things like that, but for the most part, I just decided that I wanted to take a few years and pursue other interests” she replied.

“That’s right, how could we possibly forget your novel  _ Heart Aches: A story of Love and Pain,  _ if you haven’t read it, I highly suggest you do. It’s a great read about Mari’s own personal love life, but I do warn you it will make you cry” he declared with a smile. 

“You’re going to make me blush” Mari teased playfully. 

“Well we are very excited about your performances in Miraculous” he said, changing the subject naturally. “So, other than that, are there any projects you two are working on?” 

“Not really” they replied in unison, causing them both to laugh a little, also causing the crowd to let out a few “awws”

“So Mari?” he asked suggestively “We know your book about heartbreak, but will there be a book about love anytime soon?” he asked. Mari let out a laugh before she answered the question.

“It seems more likely that I'll write about dragons before I write a real love story” she replied. 

“I have to ask this, but is there anyone you’re interested in?” he asked. Mari didn’t need much time to think it through.

“No, but I will say that love happens when you don't expect it” she responded with warmth.

“Very true” he said with a natural and warm smile “so, how about you give us a small insider scoop on the next episode of Miraculous, coming out tomorrow at 6 PM”

“I’m absolutely exhausted from all the filming and stuff” Adrien explained, breaking their comfortable silence. Mari didn’t blame him, after all it had been a long week of production, but now they had some off time before they resumed filming. 

“I know what you mean” she responded. The pair got in the car before it immediately started driving away back towards the film lot, Adrien looked over towards Mari who seemed to already be passing out in her seat. A smile formed on his face, she looked extremely peaceful and relaxed as she slept. The stresses of production and interviews were far behind her as she relaxed in the slick leather seats of the large SUV that grumbled as they started and stopped based on the street lights. Soon enough it felt like the car had already stopped in front of the production set and Adrien couldn’t find himself to wake Mari, instead he gently picked her up and decided to place her in his own car, after all he didn’t know how to get in contact with her driver. From there it only took a few moments to drive through the crowded L.A. nightlife, his car moved slowly throughout the dark streets, the relatively chilled night air coming through his open windows. It didn’t take long until he reached the notorious Hollywood Hills, where his house remained, nestled far on top of one of the highest points. He didn’t notice Mari gently waking up as the incline made her brain wake up.

“Where am I?” she asked tiredly as she shifted her position.

“You fell asleep, you can crash at my place if you’d like... or I can take you home” he suggested, he turned his head towards her as she was already drifting back into sleep.

“Thank you-” she responded as her words slurred a little bit from exhaustion. Adrien let out a sigh as he checked if she was asleep, the thing he said next would probably freak her out if she was awake. 

“Anything for the girl I love” He whispered. It was true, he did love her and had for a very long time, in fact he had first gained “feelings” for her (loosest sense of the word) when he saw her on one of the childrens shows she was on, and yet here he was, twenty, and he still had these feelings, in fact they were only stronger. He remembered when they had first met, it was in a production companies office when he was fifteen and she was fourteen, they had both auditioned for a movie that neither of them made it in, he had been extraordinarily nervous to talk to her, but when he eventually did they had a great conversation, and now it seemed that Mari had all but forgotten about that, but to him that was the moment he fell in love with her. He couldn’t resist how enthusiastic she was, how happy and giddy she was just to be doing something she loved. Finally, after she had come back from her break and he had come back from his, it seemed like they were friends at last, but he still yearned for something more, he wanted to hold her in his arms late at night. A yawn escaped his lips as he pulled up to his relatively large and secluded house, his car pulling onto the driveway as he stopped the car. Once again he picked Mari up bridal style and carried her into his house, the lights were dark and he dared not to turn them on, in fear of waking up the sleeping princess. He carefully walked up the stairs and with precise focus he opened the door to his guest room, one where the bed was neatly made. He pulled the covers loose before setting her down, allowing her to lose the exhaustion that had accumulated in her system.

Mari woke up somewhere unfamiliar, in fact it was somewhere she had never been before, she looked around and noticed a few windows allowing an early sun into the room. She stood up, feeling the cold hardwood underneath her feet, it sent shivers down her spine and made her want to curl up in a blanket. She pushed through the discomfort and walked out of the room and into a hallway, it didn’t take much for her to navigate through the house, all she had to do was follow the hallway into the living room where she found Adrien sitting and watching TV on the couch.

“How did I get here?” She asked as she fell next to him, still in her relatively casual attire which she had worn to the interview the night before.

“You fell asleep and I didn’t really know how to get you to your home, so I just brought you to mine” he replied sheepishly. 

“Oh… Thanks” she replied with a warm smile as she sent a text on her phone, undoubtedly to her driver. She scooted a bit closer to him, leaving Adrien wondering if it was a mistake or if she had just done it unknowingly.

“Listen… I… I read this morning about your break up, I was more so looking for your book and found the story about your breakup” he explained shamefully “I-I didn’t know, and I’m sorry” he finished.

“Sorry for what?” she asked worriedly.

“I’m sorry that it happened, and I feel like if I knew I could’ve been more supportive” he explained.

“Adrien, you sound really stupid right now” She said with a giggle “You’re apologizing for my mistake?” she asked rhetorically. Adrien let out a pained laugh, she was right he was apologizing for nothing, but maybe that was just part of caring so deeply about someone, you’ll apologize even if you had nothing to do about it.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked kindly.

“I mean… there’s not much to talk about” She replied as she turned her gaze away from him, letting out a sigh before explaining more “Me and Luka” She started “my ex fiance” she clarified “had a fight… he wanted to go and have out wedding as soon as possible, while I wanted to wait awhile. In the middle of the fight, he told me that the only reason he proposed was so that I wouldn’t break up with him for some moviestar. I ended things right after that” she explained lightheartedly, clearly having run the story through her head multiple times before. Adrien sat in silence before an intrusive question broke into his head.

“Do you… Do you still have feelings for him?” he asked, a tone of worry breaking through his voice that went undetected by Mari. He had no clue that he was most likely pushing a boundary by multiple levels, luckily Mari only thought for a few moments before answering.

“I'm not certain” Mari replied “It only happened... at most a year ago, so I definitely haven’t moved on, but I’m getting really close to that point.” she said with a small smile. Adrien turned to her happily, at least she wasn’t devastated about it. “I mean what’s in the past is in the past, I cant change that. So I just decided to move along” she explained “Writing the book really helped” she added as she heard a honk from the door. “Hey… uh thanks for taking care of me… I’ll see you on set next week” she explained before walking out of the house, leaving Adrien…  _ confused _ . On one hand she had said she was close to being over Luka, but on the other she was engaged to him at one point in time, he didn’t want to try and date her if she was still hung up on someone else. 

“Ugh!” he let out an aggravated groan, all his emotions mixed together causing him to be extremely disappointed and angry for no reason at all. He knew he needed some outside help with this problem, so he sent a text to the one person who could most definitely help him out.

**Adrien- Can you come over?**


End file.
